Shot on Canon

The Thanksgiving turkey is the one dish each year that’s make or break, and it’s all yours. Get the turkey right and you'll be giving warm handshakes and sipping bourbon all night; dry it out and you’ve brought a dark cloud over the extended family. The good news is, roasting the big bird is easier than running the fumblerooski against the in-laws -- and that works every year. To find the most direct route to turkey perfection, we consulted with chef Harold Moore for his foolproof recipe.

You ever have one of those ideas that seems really good at the time? Like, let's drop these broken speakers down a flight of stairs, or let's jump into the mosh pit at a Machinehead concert, or let's see if we can lure that deer into the car? Just last weekend, I thought it would be a good idea to taste-test a whole load of Russian Imperial Stouts. If you're not familiar with the style, it's characterized by high ABVs and huge chocolate, coffee and malt flavors.
Although they're monstrously strong and typically expensive, Russian Imperial Stouts push the flavor intensity spectrum, offering a look at the sultry, heady, muscly side of beer. For those willing to experiment, they offer a variety of smells, flavors and textures found in few other styles of beer. But take note: if you're going to try them, don't make it a marathon. Give them the credit that they deserve. Still, from the pain of my hangover emerged this list of our favorite Russian Imperial Stouts.

Last week hummus and yoga were “in”, and while they’re not out yet, there’s a new top dog in Popularville: Japanese Whisky. Notice the spelling -- that’s whisky with a -y, like Scotch whisky, not whiskey with an -ey, the spelling used for U.S. and Irish varietals. Yes, the Japanese whisky industry was modeled after the Scottish single malt industry's practice of distilling and blending under one roof, but it's since taken on a life of its own. As a result of several recent victories over Scottish whiskies at blind tasting competitions, Japan’s best-kept secret escaped, and the world is eager to test the hype. We tasted five of the best 12-year-old Japanese whisky offerings, and we can assure you that the hype is warranted.

Normally, we like our fruity beers fruity and our dark beers dark, period. But we managed to get our hands on a bottle of 10 Barrel/Bluejacket/Stone Suede Imperial Porter -- which comes in a sexy brown and purple bomber -- before the official October 7th release, and were pleasantly surprised at the result.

Since 2010, San Francisco-based DSPTCH has designed rugged, functional camera straps that pair military-spec webbing and Paracord with high-quality hardware. They're available in a variety of excellent, reserved hues, but we couldn't help but wonder what a combination of blaze orange and matte black hardware might look like. Neither could DSPTCH -- and so we're pleased to introduce GP x DSPTCH straps in our signature color.

For those who believe that little things make good coffee, the Brazen Brewer ($199) offers a mid-range drip machine with technology and temperature accuracy most often found on higher-end models. We put it through its paces as our office brewer for a week.

Johnnie Walker presents a good lesson in the way the world really works: the rich drink Blue, the working man drinks Red, and in between there are rungs on the ladder of purchasing power. If you can make it to Double Black, you might just be able to claw your way into a bottle of Johnnie Walker Platinum Label ($110), now available in the United States.